This invention relates to energy suppressors such as silencers including energy suppressors using composite structures.
It is known to reduce the report of firearms by leveling the energy from firing over time and space. This is done by channeling the gas formed by firing the firearm through a series of compartments and/or pathways. The gas is expanded in the chambers and pathways in a manner that slows its motion in any one direction and its energy absorbed by solid objects with a slower response time such as baffles along some of the pathways. Moreover, energy that is in the form of heat is dissipated in space with minimum of rapid thermal expansion of gas that would otherwise increase the velocity of the gas in a single direction. In this manner, the energy from the explosion is spread in time and space to reduce the intensity of sound caused by the sudden forced motion of air propelled by the energy.
In one prior art sound suppresser or silencer, the gas is channeled from the muzzle along a longitudinal path where it passes through radial openings into a series of interconnected compartments within an outer tube. The barrel of the firearm extends into a seat within the silencer and the series of compartments extends both forward and rearwardly so some of them are located around the barrel and others forward of the barrel. The compartments over the barrel reduce the length the silencer adds to the firearm. One such prior art suppressor is disclosed in United States patent publication 20030145718. In the prior art noise suppressors, the tube into which the gas is directed is broken in multiple equal sized chambers. This type of noise suppressor has several disadvantages, such as: (1) the gas in the first chamber is high energy and tends to degrade the material of baffles; (2) the first radial opening and baffle is close to the muzzle and receives gas under high pressure and temperature which tends to degrade it; (3) the radial openings into the upper tube are small and spaced, resulting in slow increases in the area of movement with resulting slow reduction in energy density; (4) there are relatively few changes in direction of motion; and (5) no special measures are taken to increase heat transfer to increase the area of heat reception and decrease temperature with resulting thermal contraction of gas.
It is also known to construct strong, light structures using composite materials that may be advantageous to disperse thermal energy in energy suppressors.
Known thermally conductive composite structures include thermally conductive primary metallic base metals and other materials such as titanium metallic materials, carbon fiber based materials, and exotic metals. Examples of thermally-conductive composite structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,389 to Jones et al., granted Sep. 4, 2001 and in United States publication U.S. 2004-0244257-A1, published Dec. 9, 2004 in the name of Michael K. Degerness. However, such composite materials have not been used in conjunction with energy suppressors although the need for controlling the heating of energy suppressors has long been known and thermally conductive materials have long been known.